Apparatus and methods for launching electromagnetic waves along a transmission medium

• US 10,530,505 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2016
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henry, Paul Shala, Vannucci, Giovanni, Wolniansky, Peter, Bennett, Robert, Barzegar, Farhad, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barnickel, Donald J., Willis, III, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lugo, David B
• Application Number:
  US15/372,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20180166761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/24 constituted by a dielectric or ferromagnetic rod or pipe H01Q13/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/08 for modifying the radiation pattern of a radiating horn in which it is located corrugated horns H01Q13/0208; producing a circular polarisation H01Q13/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/064 using horn or slot aerials slotted waveguides arrays H01Q21/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/067 using endfire radiating aerial units transverse to the plane of the array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/205 providing an omnidirectional coverage turnstile aerials H01Q21/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/08 for varying two co-ordinates of the orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/3911 Fading models or fading generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, launching, by a plurality of launchers of a waveguide system, a wave mode that propagates along a transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, detecting, by the waveguide system, that the wave mode has a propagation loss caused by an obstruction, and generating, by the plurality of launchers, an adjusted wave mode having an electric field structure that reduces the propagation loss of the obstruction. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

launching, by a plurality of launchers of a waveguide system, a hybrid electromagnetic wave mode that propagates along a transmission medium;

detecting, by the waveguide system, a propagation loss in the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode that exceeds a threshold, wherein the propagation loss is based on an obstruction to the transmission medium; and

adjusting, by the plurality of launchers, an azimuthal orientation of an electric field pattern of the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode to generate a first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode having a first adjusted electric field pattern that reduces the propagation loss caused by the obstruction, wherein a phase of each of the plurality of launchers is adjusted to place the first adjusted electric field pattern of the first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode in a first azimuthal orientation that avoids at least in part the obstruction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the azimuthal orientation of the electric field pattern of the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode further comprises determining a second azimuthal orientation of the obstruction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusting the azimuthal orientation of the electric field pattern of the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode further comprises:

adjusting, according to the second azimuthal orientation, the phase of each of the plurality of launchers to place the first adjusted electric field pattern of the first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode in the first azimuthal orientation that differs from the second azimuthal orientation of the obstruction to avoid at least in part the obstruction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the azimuthal orientation of the electric field pattern of the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode further comprises offsetting a phase setting of each of the plurality of launchers by a quarter cycle to cause a continual azimuthal rotation of the first adjusted electric field pattern of the first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode as the first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode propagates along the transmission medium, wherein the continual azimuthal rotation reduces instances when the first adjusted electric field pattern traverses the obstruction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the azimuthal orientation of the electric field pattern of the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode further comprises:

obtaining interference information;

determining, according to the interference information, a second azimuthal orientation of the obstruction; and

adjusting a phase setting of each of the plurality of launchers to place the first adjusted electric field pattern of the first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode in the first azimuthal orientation that differs from the second azimuthal orientation of the obstruction to avoid at least in part the obstruction.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the interference information is obtained from a recipient waveguide system that processes the first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the interference information is obtained by receiving a reflected signal associated with the first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises receiving interference information from a recipient waveguide system that processes the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises receiving a reflected signal associated with the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first adjusted electromagnetic wave mode comprises an adjusted hybrid electromagnetic wave mode.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of launchers comprises a plurality of dielectric couplers or a plurality of microwave transmitters.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the hybrid electromagnetic wave mode comprises an HEm,n electromagnetic wave mode or an EHm,n electromagnetic wave mode, wherein m is greater than 0, and wherein n is greater than 0.

13. A waveguide system, comprising:

a plurality of launchers;

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

launching, by the plurality of launchers, a hybrid wave mode that propagates along a transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path;

detecting that the hybrid wave mode has a propagation loss that exceeds a threshold; and

adjusting, by the plurality of launchers, an azimuthal orientation of an electric field pattern of the hybrid wave mode to generate an adjusted wave mode having an adjusted electric field pattern, wherein a phase of each of the plurality of launchers is adjusted to place the adjusted electric field pattern of the adjusted wave mode in a first azimuthal orientation that avoids at least in part an obstruction causing the propagation loss.

14. The waveguide system of claim 13, wherein the adjusting the azimuthal orientation of the electric field pattern of the hybrid wave mode further comprises offsetting a phase setting of each of the plurality of launchers by a quarter cycle to cause a continual azimuthal rotation of the adjusted electric field pattern of the adjusted wave mode as the adjusted wave mode propagates along the transmission medium.

15. The waveguide system of claim 14, wherein the continual azimuthal rotation reduces instances when the adjusted electric field pattern traverses an obstruction causing the propagation loss.

16. The waveguide system of claim 13, wherein the detecting comprises receiving a reflected signal associated with the hybrid wave mode or receiving information from a remote waveguide system that receives and processes the hybrid wave mode.

17. A method, comprising:

launching, by a plurality of launchers of a waveguide system, a wave mode that propagates along a transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path;

detecting, by the waveguide system, that the wave mode has a propagation loss caused by an obstruction; and

generating, by the plurality of launchers, an adjusted wave mode, wherein the generating includes adjusting an azimuthal orientation of an electric field structure of the adjusted wave mode, wherein the adjusted wave mode comprises a hybrid wave mode, and wherein the adjusting places the electric field structure in a first azimuthal orientation that reduces propagation loss of the obstruction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the electric field structure further includes a helical electric field structure.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the electric field structure further includes a continual azimuthal rotation that reduces the propagation loss of the obstruction.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the helical electric field structure includes a low intensity near an outer surface of the transmission medium that reduces propagation loss of the obstruction.